


Chocolate Cake

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: Birthdays, Drunk Chloe, F/M, HEX - Freeform, Missing Scene, Proposals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24243775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: "I thought you were busy with..." she grinned softly and arched her eyebrows, "more important things."His smile slipped just a little at that, his chest tightening. "Just a little business matter. Not more important."
Relationships: Oliver Queen & Chloe Sullivan
Kudos: 1





	Chocolate Cake

Oliver was glad that he'd been able to wrap up the business that had arisen during Chloe's birthday party and make it back within a little under two hours. And that had included a brief detour on the way back. He left the small double chocolate cake in his car and tossed the valet his keys before heading back inside the Ace of Clubs for the second time that night. He wasn't surprised that the crowd had thinned out considerably during the time he'd been gone. He glanced around, spotting her familiar figure in the pretty teal dress she'd chosen for the evening and smiling as he headed up to her, placing his hand lightly at the small of her back without really thinking about it. "Guess who's back," he joked lightly.

Chloe startled slightly at the hand on her back but by the time she turned around to face him, she was already smiling. Drink one-too-many in her hand, her expression soft, "Ollie, hey."

He raised his eyebrows a little, meeting her eyes. "Hey."

"I thought you were busy with..." she grinned softly and arched her eyebrows, "more important things."

His smile slipped just a little at that, his chest tightening. "Just a little business matter. Not _more_ important."

"I think what you were doing is a lot more important than _this_ ," she told him, glancing around then smiling sadly up at him.

Oliver shook his head, shifting closer to her, his hand a little more firm against her back now. He wanted to go grab a little green rock and kick Clark Kent hard in the knee. Or possibly some place more painful. He had no doubt that's who she was really thinking about. "Not true," he informed her, dipping his head a little to catch her gaze. " _You_ are important. Which is why I came back. Couldn't let you have all the fun without me." He winked at her.

"You might be a little late for that," she admitted, taking a deep breath and looking around the room, a handful of couples making out in corners and some people asleep on the club's couches, "all the fun seems to have been had and as you could tell earlier, I'm not exactly the epitome of fun tonight," she told him, raising her nearly empty glass and taking a drink.

He watched her, concern in his eyes. "This wasn't really your idea of a good time in the first place, was it?" he asked.

Chloe wrinkled her nose and shook her head, sighing softly and leaning sideways against the bar, "Lois has a thing for surprise parties. I know she means well but..."

He pursed his lips, keeping his eyes on her. "So what would your preference have been?"

At that, she paused and considered him for a moment, surprised by the question, "honestly?" She asked.

Oliver nodded slightly.

"Probably just staying home, watching something I've seen a hundred times before like... Pirates of the Caribbean," she shrugged a little, "maybe some chocolate cake and alcohol to go with it." Chloe smiled and looked down, shaking her head, "I guess pathetic _is_ my middle name now."

He considered for a moment, then reached out, taking her empty glass and setting it down on the bar, tossing some money down. "No. You're not. Come on." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, guiding her toward the door.

"Where?" She frowned, looking up at him. The turning of her head and sudden movement caused her to stumble slightly and she leaned against his side without meaning to. Apparently she had had more to drink than she realized because she couldn't really feel her feet at this point.

"Whoa, easy." He shifted his arm to wrap around her waist, keeping her steady. "Well, I can actually grant you one of those wishes."

She cocked her head a little and straightened as well as she could, "you're a closeted Jack Sparrow fan and you have all the movies in a convenient Metropolis location?" She teased.

Oliver chuckled at that. "I do own the movies, but it's not because of Johnny Depp," he teased. "However, there is a double chocolate cake in my car with your name on it. Literally."

Chloe blinked a couple of times, staring at him, "but the party is over," she said, while somewhere in the back of her head she knew there was no reason for him to lie about it, in her drunken stupor, she didn't believe him.

"The party is, but your birthday isn't," he told her, giving her a gentle, affectionate squeeze.

She sighed softly at that, "can't we just eat chocolate cake and pretend my birthday _is_ over?"

The fact that she was pouting wasn't lost on him, and a small, amused smile touched his mouth. "If that's what you want, you bet," he assured her.

Her face lit up, just a little and she looked up at him then nodded, "sounds much better."

"Good," he said softly. "And there may even be a small present for you..."

"Ollie..." she shook her head, her face falling, "you didn't have to do that."

Oliver glanced at her sideways. "You should hold off telling me that til you see what it is," he told her with a wink.

Pursing her lips together, she looked up at him, still leaning against his side, "it's not a birthday present, right?"

"Not exactly," he admitted, raising his eyebrows. "It's...sort of a proposal."

Chloe paused and stared at him, "... a proposal?"

Nodding, he guided her to his car once the valet pulled it up in front of them. Keeping his arm around her waist, he pulled open the passenger side door, picking up the cake from inside and the small box on top of it.

She stared at the big box and the small one, holding on to the car door to keep her balance even as she turned her curious gaze on him.

"Go ahead," he told her, nodding toward the car and waiting for her to climb in.

Chloe considered him for just a second then sat down, sighing deeply as she did. Suddenly she could feel her feet again, and they hurt a hell of a lot.

He watched her for a moment, then shifted closer, holding the cake box and small box out to her. "I'd put these in my backseat, but uh...I don't have one." He grinned at her.

She looked up at him for a moment then nodded, taking the boxes and setting them on her lap as carefully as she could, "guess you don't need one."

"Not really," he agreed, carefully closing the door and then making his way around to the driver's side. He slid into the seat and stuck the keys into the ignition. "Why don't you open that top box?"

Arching her eyebrows slightly, Chloe cocked her head at him then reached for the box, opening it slowly then frowning slightly, "an earpiece?"

Oliver stifled a grin. "A proposal, remember?"

"... Be more specific? Pretty sure the lack of communication skills is what caused the outcome of the last proposal I received," she pointed out.

He winced involuntarily. "All right. Specifically it's...a career opportunity of sorts," he told her, raising his eyebrows.

"A career opportunity?" Chloe echoed, "as..." she had figured out but she knew she was drunk so she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"As Watchtower," he finished, nodding.

She took a deep breath and looked down at the earpiece, "oh." Her head had been spinning before, but it seemed to be spinning three times faster now.

"You don't have to make a decision right away," he said quietly. "It's just...something I've been thinking about for awhile and...I don't know. Finally decided to share my thoughts."

"I can't even guide myself, Oliver," she told him, placing the earpiece back in the box and closing it, "I’m sure as hell am not fit to guide anyone else."

He was silent for a moment. "You're too hard on yourself," he responded, starting his car.

"I'm not risking anyone's lives just to prove you wrong," she told him, feeling more sober now, but a lot more tired.

Oliver glanced at her sideways before pulling the car out onto the road. "Like I said. You don't have to make a decision right away. Keep it. Consider it. Take as much time as you need."

She took a deep breath and looked at him for a moment then down at the box, shaking her head slightly even though she kept it. She already knew her answer.

* * *

It took him only a few moments to realize she'd fallen asleep in the passenger seat on the way back to Smallville. He parked the car in front of the Talon over an hour later, turning to look at her. He held his breath for a moment, gazing at her intently. Her head was resting lightly against the back of the seat, a curly strand of hair draped over her cheek. Without thinking about it, he reached out, gently tucking the loose strand behind her ear, his gaze flickering up to the crown on her head. A faint smile touched his mouth, and he suddenly remembered Clark once telling him that Chloe had been the senior prom queen in their class. One day, when he wasn't worried that she would kill him for it, he'd bug her to see pictures.

He climbed out of the car and made his way over to the passenger side, opening it quietly and reaching across her to undo her seatbelt. Then he slid an arm beneath her knees, and the other under her torso, lifting her carefully into his arms and pulling her from the vehicle.

Chloe groaned quietly as he moved her but didn't wake up, just wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively then rested her face against his neck.

He smiled a little at that and carried her quietly through the nearly-shut down Talon, ignoring the curious looks from the girl behind the counter as he headed up the stairs, shifting her carefully so he could dig out the key she'd given him just in case he ever needed it. He'd never used it before then. Sliding it into the door, he opened it as quietly as he could and stepped inside the apartment, glancing around and then heading over to where the bed was just a few feet away.

She blinked her eyes open when she felt her body laying on a much softer surface but tightened her arms around the person she was holding on to, frowning as she lifted her head to look around.

"Easy," he murmured, not moving away. "You're home."

"Ollie?" She murmured, turning her face to look at him, her nose brushing against his cheek.

"It's me," he confirmed.

Chloe shifted a little but didn't pull away, completely unaware of how close they were as she closed her eyes again, "you brought me home."

"I did." He could feel her warm breath against his cheek as she spoke. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she murmured, shifting a little more to get comfortable, "there was a chocolate cake..."

A grin tugged at his mouth. "Was it good?" His voice was low, a hint of teasing there considering she hadn't even had any of the cake yet.

Chloe wrinkled her nose at that and opened her eyes to look at him, "you had it."

"I had it?" he echoed, raising his eyebrows.

"Cake," she breathed, closing her eyes again and dropping her hands to his arms as she turned toward him a little bit more, relaxing.

Oliver gazed at her as he watched her lay her head down on the pillow even though she still held onto his arms. "I didn't eat your cake. Promise," he told her.

"It's okay if you did," she murmured, smiling even though she didn't open her eyes.

Grinning a little, he shook his head. "I didn't. You can have it when you wake up, all right?"

She cocked her head a little then opened her eyes slightly, "with you?"

He paused. "You want me to stay here until you wake up so we can have cake together?"

Chloe took a deep breath and nodded slightly, "that was the plan."

He smiled softly. "All right. You get some rest and when you're awake again...we'll celebrate with that cake."

"Okay," she said, smiling and squeezing his arms lightly as she closed her eyes, "you're a good friend."

Oliver held his breath for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek. "Happy birthday, Chloe," he whispered, pulling away reluctantly and gently removing her heels. "Sweet dreams."

She took a deep breath and snuggled against her pillow, "thank you, Ollie," she yawned then sighed deeply and relaxed.

"You're welcome," he murmured, watching as she settled down and grew still once more. "Goodnight."

Chloe shifted once more before stilling again, falling asleep almost instantly.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he gazed at her for a moment longer, wondering how much, if any of that conversation she would remember when she woke up. If he had to guess, probably not a lot. Which was better, he reasoned, sighing softly and looking down at the floor. The last thing she really needed was someone like _him_ making her life more complicated than it already was. No, Chloe Sullivan deserved a hell of a lot better than him as a friend. His chest tightened a little and he shut his eyes for a few seconds, then headed slowly toward the door. He had a feeling she wouldn't remember how she'd gotten home at all.

But she'd have her chocolate cake.

A faint smile touched his mouth as he slipped out of her apartment and retrieved it, and the communicator device from his car, carrying them back inside a few moments later and setting them down on the table.

At least he'd been able to give her one tiny part of her birthday wish.


End file.
